Martin Truex Jr. is feeling a lot like the Rodney Dangerfield of NASCAR Sprint Cup as he prepares for the first race in The Chase this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Despite a solid season which saw him near the top of the points standings all year, and several near-misses for wins no one is giving the New Jersey driver any respect.

Picked by many "experts" to finish near the bottom of the twelve drivers who have qualified for The Chase, no one seems to even mention his name unless it is in a negative light. All this despite being part of a team, Michael Waltrip Racing, which put both cars, the Truex NAPA Toyota, and Clint Bowyer's Five Hour Energy Toyota, which had full-time drivers into the top-ten in points heading into The Chase.

When asked about his "underdog" status in Kansas, where he was participating in an event promoting The Chase, the Mayetta, N.J. native said, " In a way it is good, there is less pressure on the team, but it is a joke that we are being picked to finish 12th, probably the same people that said we wouldn't make The Chase."

Another aspect of Truex's chances at taking home his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship that is also being overlooked is the presence of teammate Mark Martin, driver of the Aarons Toyota. Martin not only brings great experience, both on and off the track, when it comes to chasing a title, but could actually be a factor in several ways.

With Martin not eligible for the championship, and not running a full schedule, he will be able to experiment with different set-ups, in both practice and the race. He will then be able to pass that information on to his MWR teammates Truex and Bowyer.

Martin could even be a factor in the races themselves. He continues to say the pursuit of the championship is a total team effort. But just how far is Martin willing to go? Will he pull over to give his teammates a position on the track, or even the win? Will he race the other contenders in The Chase a little harder when they catch him on the track?

Another interesting note is during his visit to Sprint's Kansas headquarters, Truex was the first of The Chase drivers to see the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship trophy in person. He hopes to be the last one to see it at Homestead-Miami.

Martin Truex Jr. is upset with the view of his team's chances to capture the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. It will have to be seen whether he can turn that anger into what it takes to get it done. The first test will be this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.